Learning to live with chronic pain and illness gracefully

Checking Back In

It has been a long, long time since I posted. The last six months have been mostly focused on work at my job- we had a couple major projects back-to-back but we’re finally out from under those. My health has had some ups and downs along the way, but overall I’ve been doing relatively well. I started writing short fiction again, and that’s where most of my writing energy has gone; it’s a lot of fun, and more rewarding than I expected.

After a false start I finally transferred to the endocrinologist at the same practice that houses my rheumatologist. This is a huge relief; it’s much closer and more convenient to my job, I can take a shuttle on days when I can’t drive, and it is much easier to share labs and communication between my doctors. I have a round of bloodwork and a fresh sonogram of my thyroid scheduled, but since I’m stable she’s not inclined to change my dosage or brand, for which I am extremely grateful.

Interestingly enough she didn’t bring up my weight- I did. My last doctor was insistent that I lose weight but didn’t provide any guidance. I tried a few things but nothing stuck for long. My new doc suggested I count carbs for a while and see how that works for me. A good friend has done well with this approach and hubby has cut back on carbs as well with some success.

I’m not making any big changes right now- just watching my portions and tracking again, but after four days I feel less bloated and my energy is up, so I have hopes. I’ve decided to not weigh myself until my next doctor appointment in six weeks and just focus on eating better, especially over the holidays.

I still use the treadmill but we’ve been doing a lot of yardwork lately and I’m trying not to overdo things. We’ve started house-hunting again and have looked at a few promising places; we’d really like a house with a pool and that will give me more exercise options.

We’ve had a few cold days, but other than stiffness my joints aren’t doing too bad. What has been more of a problem is that my office is chilly (it’s poorly insulated) so I have to run my space heater and get up to walk around often and stretch so I don’t stiffen up too much; this helps minimize my pain at work.

I am hosting Christmas dinner this year and might order a cooked turkey; the end of the year happened in a rush and I just finished gift shopping last night. I have one item to make but otherwise all I need to do is wrap and mail. Hubby has tomorrow off and will assemble the tree so I can decorate it, and I need to start getting the house in order for guests. My cards will probably go out post-holiday this year, and it may just be close friends/family instead of my whole list, but I’ll make sure that anyone who sends a card gets one in return. It’s not what I’d prefer, but I’m trying to spend my spoons wisely.

I hope that you are all doing as well as possible and looking forward to holiday, and you have my best wishes for the new year and every year!